Why Naked Juice Isn’t Naked

The dirty secret in these popular juices

Naked Juice’s all-natural claims were under fire earlier this month in a California Central District court. The ingredients in question: Fructooligosaccharides—indigestible, super-sweet sugars that occur naturally in some produce but are often manufactured; Inulin—another saccharine, plant-based dietary fiber that can be crafted in labs; Fibersol-2—a trademarked corn syrup built to beef up fiber content; and genetically modified soy.

As a result, Naked Juice’s parent company PepsiCo will be paying a $9 million settlement, scuttle “all-natural” claims from its labels, and tap an outside consultant to confirm that ingredients don’t exceed non-GMO thresholds. However, don’t expect them to be pulling GMO-free claims from the sweet drinks’ labels.

“Naked juice and smoothies will continue to be labeled ‘non-GMO,’ and until there is more detailed regulatory guidance around the word ‘natural,’ we’ve chosen not to use ‘all natural’ on our packaging,” says Naked Juice spokesperson Mike Torres.

Which begs the question: What is considered natural? According to the FDA, it hasn’t defined the use of the term natural or any of its derivatives because from a food science perspective this is difficult. “The food has probably been processed and it no longer the product of the earth.” That being said, companies can get away with calling a product natural “if the food does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances.”